A Journey from the Peace Corps to Accidental Entrepreneur with Jen McFarland
Our guest Jen McFarland
Jen McFarland is the founder of Epiphany Courses and Women Conquer Business. Her companies specialize in helping small business owners to simplify and systematize their marketing.
How she became a Peace Corp volunteer in Kazakhstan
Jen shares that she was inspired to join the Peace Corps by one of her friends working at Peace Corp. After getting married, Jen and her husband decided to join the Peace Corps together in Kazakhstan. To hear more, go to [01:25].
Her experience while working in the Peace Corps
Jen and her husband were teachers in Kazakhstan. Her husband, who is also a musician, joined a rock band and performed in a theater in the village, making them like rock stars to everyone around them.
Additionally, Jen shares that while working there, they received a lot of attention from the villagers, which was weird and fun at the same time. To hear more, go to [06:44].
“The best things happen outside your comfort zone.”
Life after returning to America
Jen shares that after two years at Peace Corps in Kazakhstan, they returned home but had a hard time readjusting to life in America. Additionally, unlike most people who feared Muslim women, when she saw them, she felt safe being around them based on her experience with them in Kazakhstan. To listen more, tune in at [16:24].
How she became an accidental entrepreneur
After returning home from Kazakhstan, Jen worked in the non-profit sector. However, because she wanted to make more money, she decided to go to grad school and ended up working in tech project management for the city of Portland.
Even though Jen was working on big projects that impacted many people, she found it abstract because she didn’t have direct contact with people like she did at Peace Corps.
She started assisting small business owners and realized it was a gratifying experience for her. To hear more, go to [18:30].
Jen’s second business Epiphany Courses
When Jen started her podcast, the Women Conquer Business Show, she was approached by a company that wanted to use her episodes as lessons on their platform.
When she realized she would make money from selling her lessons to the company, she created the Epiphany Courses platform to sell the lessons herself. To hear more, tune in at [21:34].
CONNECT WITH JEN MCFARLAND
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Leave a Reply
to help you grow your business!
free resources
choose your path...
I WANT THE SECRET TO WORK <20 HOURS/WEEK!
Look no further because I've got you covered!
I created a step-by-step roadmap that shares the exact items you need to reach 6-figures while working <20 hours/week!
01.
